NEW YORK – With each sublime fourth quarter, each dazzling display of shotmaking and playmaking down the stretch of tight playoff games, Jalen Brunson is securing his place among the most clutch postseason performers in NBA history.
The New York Knicks‘ point guard took his already iconic first-round series against Philadelphia to even greater heights in Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.
When the stakes were highest, Brunson elevated his game yet again, erupting for 21 of his 43 points in the final period as he carried the Knicks to a gritty 121-117 victory to open their second-round series.
Relentlessly attacking the basket, creating space with sublime footwork and feathery touch, and drilling contested jumpers, Brunson willed New York across the finish line with a performance for the ages.
The 26-year-old southpaw has now strung together four consecutive 40-point games in these playoffs, dishing out at least five assists in each outing as well.
No player in the illustrious history of the NBA playoffs had ever managed such a sustained stretch of prolific scoring coupled with playmaking brilliance.
Over his past five games, a span in which the Knicks have gone 4-1, Brunson has either scored or assisted on a mind-boggling 321 total points – the second-highest five-game playoff total ever, trailing only Nikola Jokic’s 329 last year.
“The little things can go a long way,” Brunson said humbly in his trademark low-key manner. “So yeah, the 40 points are cool and all, but it’s the little things that help us win games like that.”
Those “little things” he referred to included making all 14 of his free throw attempts, and repeatedly earning trips to the line with his fearless forays into the teeth of the defense.
They also encompassed finding the smart basketball play time and again, like when he drew multiple defenders and fired a pinpoint pass to former Villanova teammate Donte DiVincenzo for a go-ahead three-pointer with just 40 seconds remaining to break a 115-all tie.
DiVincenzo enjoyed a breakout game himself, pouring in 21 of his 25 points in the second half as he finally found his stroke after an uneven series against Philadelphia.
Josh Hart was another key contributor with 24 points while playing a ridiculous 48 minutes – the third time he’s logged such a massive workload this postseason.
But make no mistake, this was Brunson’s night once again, his playoff star burning brighter with each clutch moment.
Whether it was weaving through traffic for an acrobatic layup, burying a deep three over a desperately close-out, or wrong-footing his defender with a sublime hesitation dribble, the unflappable Brunson rose to every occasion.
“You could go on and on every night,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau gushed. “And the thing I love about him is he’s all about the team. All he cares about is winning, and he cares about his teammates, and I think when that happens, he’s, in the end, what do we need? Do we need a big bucket? Whatever it is we need, he’ll provide.”
The Pacers certainly had no answer for stopping Brunson’s brilliance in the fourth.
Despite the heroic efforts of Myles Turner, who led Indiana with 23 points and got relatively productive games from Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, they simply had no response when Brunson went supernova in the final period.
Indiana will also lament some controversial officiating calls down the stretch that went against them.
With the game tied at 115, the Pacers appeared to have a steal and transition opportunity after Aaron Nesmith deflected a Brunson pass, but it was ruled a kicked ball violation despite replays showing it deflected off Nesmith’s hand.
Then in the final seconds, Turner was whistled for a moving screen, freeing up Haliburton, with replays showing it was a borderline call.
“We’re not expecting to get calls in here,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “It would be nice if they laid off that one, but they didn’t. So that’s just the way it goes.”
The referees acknowledged the missed kicked ball call after the game in the pool report.
While the officiating was certainly a factor, Turner put the onus on his team.
“I think it’s best when players decide the outcome of the game,” the big man said. “For the most part, you can’t leave the game to be decided by the refs, so we have to take accountability as well.”
As this Eastern Conference semifinal series shifts to Game 2 on Wednesday in New York, the Pacers must find a way to somehow slow Brunson’s historic postseason charge. The Knicks’ humble hero is averaging over 30 points per game these playoffs while shooting better than 50% from the field.
More impressively, he’s been transcendent in fourth quarters, averaging a ridiculous 12.4 points per game just in final periods over his last five outings.
With Brunson operating at a level few players have ever reached in the crucible of the playoffs, the Knicks have arguably the most lethal closer and crunch-time weapon remaining in this postseason.
And he’s showing no signs of cooling off, rewriting record books on a seemingly nightly basis.
If Brunson can maintain his torrid pace, the Knicks have to feel confident their playoff run will extend much deeper into the summer. Because when a player catches the kind of sizzling rhythm Brunson is in, carrying his team to wins with ice in his veins, the future is awfully bright.
